This is a largely conceptual article, developing understandings of human rights within sociological frameworks of cosmopolitanism and utopia and applying them to citizenship education. Based on a keynote speech at an international conference in London, the article builds on an extensive existing body of work whilst introducing new elements such as explicitly relating human rights and fundamental freedoms. This is an electronic version of an article published in Cambridge Journal of Education, volume 42, issue 1, March 2012. Cambridge Journal of Education is available online at: www.tandfonline.com.